Final yr we had a homicide thriller enlargement for Magic: The Gathering, adopted by a Wild West one. Because the cynics put it, they have been “Magic in detective hats” and “Magic in cowboy hats”. Now, with the Aetherdrift set principally being themed round Pace Racer and Twisted Steel, the cynics say that is “Magic in a racing helmet,” when what the folks actually need (for “the folks” learn “cranky Redditbros”) is extra trad fantasy.
This rings false to me. For starters, we simply had Foundations, a set that went again to the sport’s authentic inspirations and in some instances the unique playing cards, a set with loads of dragons and angels and swords being changed into ploughshares. If it is trad fantasy you are after, you will eat properly on the Foundations desk. Aetherdrift is for individuals who crave selection, who do not wish to eat the identical excessive fantasy meal each evening of the week.
And, as somebody who solely received critically into amassing Magic fairly than simply enjoying the digital variations with Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty—a completely cyberpunk set with mechs and playing cards like Born to Drive—the thought of magical Carmageddon does not appear too far on the market. Magic’s multiverse clearly is not filled with worlds that conveniently stopped advancing on the medieval interval (New Capenna is blatantly the Twenties with demons), so carry on the Wacky Wheels, I say, and the wackier the higher.
I went to a prerelease occasion at one in every of my native gaming shops, Loads of Video games in Melbourne, to take Aetherdrift for a take a look at drive. The advantage of these prerelease occasions is how informal they’re. Whereas the hosts do name time so you’ll be able to finish your first match and play another person, my desk cheerfully ignored that and as a substitute performed a four-player recreation that lasted your complete night, which felt extra on-theme for a race than a sequence of one-on-one duels would.
Taking part in sealed meant opening a choice of boosters and constructing decks from what was accessible. I used to be tempted to construct a black deck round Pactdoll Terror, a toy automotive piloted by a killer doll, which provides you some extent of life and takes one from all of your opponents once you play an artifact. There are many artifact playing cards in Aetherdrift, largely automobiles, however as a substitute I made a decision to construct a deck to check out the brand new pace mechanic.
Once you play a card with “Begin your engines!” on it you acquire a pace of 1, and it will increase one level per flip in the event you harm an opponent. At max pace, which is 4, varied card-dependent results set off. My deck’s Strolling Sarcophagus went from a 2/1 to a 3/3 for example, and my Aether Syphon pressured everybody else to mill two playing cards each time I drew one. One of many different gamers went for the same tactic, Aether Syphon and all, however as a result of I hit max pace earlier than them I used to be assured I would mill everybody else to demise first.
I hadn’t counted on the participant sat throughout from me having Push the Restrict, a card that returns all of your automobiles and mounts from the discard pile to the desk, and lets them assault with out crew that flip. We might been filling his discard pile for a number of turns, helpfully loading bullets right into a gun he then circled and fired at the remainder of us. The playing cards you get again with Push the Restrict must be discarded once more on the finish of the flip, however that one huge swing worn out one participant and diminished the remainder of us to our previous few life factors.
It did not win him the sport, although. The participant sitting within the far nook had not lengthy earlier than performed Pactdoll Terror, after which she effectively drained everybody else’s closing life factors by following it with a handful of artifacts in a row. I may solely applaud. It was a traditional tortoise-and-hare state of affairs, with the least assuming racer crossing the end line whereas everybody else had their engines betray them on the house stretch. An ideal marriage of theme and mechanics.
(Aetherdrift has a surprisingly in-depth connection to the lore as properly, with narrative designer Miguel Lopez actually going to city on the worldbuilding facet of issues.)
Aetherdrift will likely be out in Area from February 11, and in paper Magic from February 14. You will discover in-store occasions at your native taking part retailer.
